Cali Kid Corals

Zapping aptasia, what I've learned "so far"

The zapper has been used to kill hundreds of aiptasia in my tank. The problem is that the adults in the tank seem to sense the irradiation of the colony in progress and start a spawn of larvae. Nature is so very cool in their defense. It may be a coincidence but I think not. The end result is that despite the hours of zapping, my colony of aiptasia grew to immense proportions until........................................I added the Klein's Butterfly. That sucker has single highhandedly reduced my aiptasia population by 95%. I've redesigned my aqua scape and have a new theme/format. Fish and LPS mostly. I've moved all the pedestal mounted chalice and other LPS from the sand to semi permanent locations on the reef. It's beginning to look like a display tank again and the clear sand in from of the LR looks great. Gives the fish more wide open spaces to cruise around the tank too.
The best zapper money can buy is not the long nosed hawk (Rodney Dangerfield) but the Klein's butterfly behind him.
butterfly.jpg
 
My Dendro is fully intact. Including the little buds coming up around the perimeter of the "mother mouth" As are my limited selection of zoa's. Plus, now Mr. Klein can keep " Big Bad" the purple tang under control. He's such a bully! The aiptasia diet is giving Mr. Klein a real growth boost. I've watched him become much more well defined in color and texture as he is quickly matching the tang in size. You can actually see the Dendro in the background of the blurry picture above. It's coming back too as my tank get's over the meltdown.
 
Thanks John! That was my other worry - my Desjardin Sailfin & Mimic tangs...both are a first class PITA. They shredded a Copperband in minutes, barely got him out alive! I've heard Klien's are a bit bolder.
 
Well...........except for this one thing...................(oops forgot to mention).........a smaller Kleins and great looking CB got shreaded or rather "badgered" to demise when I added the larger one that now reigns. He still squares off with the purple tang but they come to a stalemate every time. hehehe
 
Sounds like what I need - I figured I would have to add a larger Klein's since the two tangs are pretty good sized. Not too worried about the other fish, everything else is small enough to be ignored by the Klein's (Mandarin, Yellow Assesor, a couple of blennies and my clowns) - with the exception of my monster Melanurus wrasse and he can take care of himself!
 
GDawson said:
No not a wuss......when they take over you may change your mind :)

I like palys and zoas but they can become an issue with other corals as they have a powerful sting. I'm just looking for a method of control to keep them restricted to specific areas.....a type of pruning if you will.

-Gregory
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I think he prefers not to possibly release paly toxin into his tank... It can kill you.
 
I do the same, when I can. I have one rock that I got years ago that is not ancient coral but rather volcanic rock (Mexico cannot ship zoas or palys on anything but it) so I have to keep removing little rocks I place around it to create a dam :)
 
bondolo said:
99sf said:
I love my peppermint shrimp! Zero aiptasia (from dozens when I inherited the live rock) within weeks, none remaining over a year later.
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I have a peppermint shrimp and it seems to show no interest in aiptasia at all. Is the love to munch aiptasia a breed or species or specimen variability?
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You have to not feed the shrimp for 1-3 weeks. When they get hungry, the eat the aips, if there is easier food, they eat that instead.
 
GreshamH said:
GDawson said:
No not a wuss......when they take over you may change your mind :)

I like palys and zoas but they can become an issue with other corals as they have a powerful sting. I'm just looking for a method of control to keep them restricted to specific areas.....a type of pruning if you will.

-Gregory
Click to expand...
I think he prefers not to possibly release paly toxin into his tank... It can kill you.
Click to expand...
Hey Gresh,
Do palys produce significant quantities of toxin from any division or fragging? How long after a soak in Revive is it safe to place paly frags back into the tank. What other traumas can cause a paly to release toxin? How long does it take to break down in the tank? I ask these questions because I've never employed any special precautions regarding paly propagation or fragging.
 
There is a lot on the net as far as reading on palytoxin, I'll dig some up in a day or so if you haven't found any good ones. I'm just poking in for a second today... busy busy
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19545971
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/04/05/world%E2%80%99s-2nd-deadliest-poison-in-an-aquarium-store-near-you/
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/palythoa-toxica-poisoning-one-reefkeepers-personal-experience-with-palytoxin-poisoning

I've been tagged before.... not the best feeling ever. Now I always wear gloves, eye protection and mask (for nose/mouth) in case you get squirted in the eye, mouth or nose.

The one palthoa you should really be worried about is true playthoa.

Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

For the aquarist, localized numbness and swelling are the most common examples of exposure to Polytoxin. If you experience these symptoms, it is recommended that you flush the area with freshwater for 15 minutes. If the signs or symptoms don’t abate (or if they get worse) seek medical attention.

If sufficient quantities of Palytoxin get into your bloodstream, you may experience nausea and vomiting, muscles spasms, non-localized tingling sensations and numbness, and, ultimately, respiratory distress. These are all indications that the intoxication has gone systemic, and you should seek medical attention immediately. The ones in bold, that was what I felt twice and never want that to happen ever again.
 
Thanks Charles.

Ive bern nailed quite a few times both at work and at home. Ive been lucky.
 
so have I, my heart started to palpitate and it really scare the bajesus outta me. I don't take these polyps for granted anymore.. Had some slime from some really big palythoas was fragging for a bunch of people.. didn't know some slime residue was on my top part of the wrist part of my gloves.. rubbed my nose as it was itchy, didn't know hit my mouth.. automatic mouth numbness and tingling.. metalic taste. knew I got tagged right away.
 
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